The Venom and the Antidote
by nuka-cherries
Summary: As a half Amestrian and half Ishvalan State Alchemist, Minerva Mineau struggles to find her footing in an unequal society. Despite that, she continues to fight for what is best and to achieve justice for the mistreatment of her people. But once a terrible conspiracy is uncovered that puts everyone in grave danger, her skills are put to the ultimate test to help save humanity.


**This fic has gone through endless reboots and remixes and drafts has been almost 8 years in the making. From middle school to high school to now, college. I hope this fic does my younger self some justice. This is probably my most ambitious fic for my all time favorite series, and the main series that got me into writing fanfic in the first place. I originally posted this fic under a different title ( The Mercury Alchemist, not to confuse with another fic with the same title by AveryScarlet: mad respect/kudos to her!) on my old account a while back, but this is the reboot. The Kingdom Hearts Mememix. The Third Time's The Charm.**

 **Major shout out to my best friend and mom celestialskys on AO3!**

 **Warnings for future chapters will be placed here in the author's note, since FF doesn't have a tag system like AO3. But I'll give y'all a heads up. This fic will be exploring character developments, psychological traumas, and the social and cultural aftermath of the Ishvalan war. Period-typical racism will be present, as will corruption, nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It will follow the anime/manga _almost_ beat by beat and episode by episode, to a certain degree. Canon divergence will be present as well, with some missing scenes and filling in the blanks. **

**I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I only own Gina and Minerva and assorted OCs.**

 **I hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Freezer

* * *

"You there! Halt or I'll shoot!" the uniformed officer exclaimed.

The bright blue light of alchemy illuminated the dark alley as the Freezer transmuted some ice and stabbed the officer. The other one froze and shattered into pieces.

Quick, quite literal cold blooded acts of murder.

From the top of the stairwell, Minerva waited. Her black hood was pulled over her head, obscuring her face, but still allowing her to see from a bird's point of view. Knives were set between her fingers, her alchemy sheaths on both arms. The left glove to shoot, the right to retrieve, with moves in mind that she had done for years. Inner, outward, she knew what the hell she was doing.

At the each end of the alley, she could barely see the Elric brothers' faint outlines. Already in their positions, ready to strike.

"Water freezes, water boils, either way, you're just as dead," said the Freezing Alchemist.

Minerva recognized the unmistakable blue light from Ed's alchemy. A spear flew from the sky. the Freezer jumped backwards. It sizzled a bit.

"That's alchemy."

 _Way to state the obvious._

"That was a nasty thing you did," Ed said, coming into the light.

"You of all people should know. Great deeds require great sacrifice. Isn't that the law of equivalent exchange?!" the Freezer exclaimed. The tone he had was borderline obsessive, with a dark tone following the hysteria.

But as expected, Ed wasn't having any of it.

"Save your breath. The laws of alchemy don't justify murder!" Ed said. He clapped his hands and with alchemy touched the spear, turning into a club.

"That's without a transmutation circle," the Freezer said. "A night full of surprises!"

 _If only the man knew the reason why…_

"Don't be too impressed," said Ed. "Al, now!"

Alphonse Elric jumped from behind and tried to punch the Freezer. The ice alchemist ducked. Ed tried to take a swing but he blocked it with his metal gauntlet. the Freezer then used alchemy to try blow up Ed's arm.

"What?!" the Freezer exclaimed. He flipped Alphonse over. "No I got you! Any water there should have boiled!"

Ed held up his now ruined sleeve. "If it's any consolation, you did manage to ruin my coat," he said, slightly irritated.

"Hold on…. An automail arm, a young gifted alchemist who uses no transmutation circle," the Freezer said. Then it hit him.

"I know you. You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric!"

He was distracted.

Perfect.

Minerva leaped from the roof and shot two knives into the Freezer's shoulders, the right one missing the target but damaging his sheath in the process. He yelped out loud, only for a flash of black caught the Freezer's eye. "What the-Shit!" he exclaimed.

The sole of her boots cushioned the fall and she only staggered forward a little bit. She definitely felt the impact in her knees, and they would pay for it later, but the adrenaline prevented her from thinking about it too much.

"That was a sloppy move, you know, letting your guard down in battle," Minerva said casually. She dusted herself off and stood at Ed's right.

"Nice shot," Ed said.

"Thank you," Minerva smiled a little bit.

The Freezer yanked out one knife and tossed it on the ground. He held his bleeding shoulder with his free hand. "Who the hell are you?!" he asked.

At his tone, Minerva's smile dropped. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before in my life."

"Okay you know Fullmetal over here, but you don't know me?" Minerva asked. "I am...offended. But then again, there wasn't a lot of promotion like the golden boy. My existence is more of a word on the street type of thing."

"I see that chain from that watch. You're a state alchemist. A female one at that too."

"I am, yes."

Minerva pulled off her black leather hood. It would only get in the way.

"An Ishvalan state alchemist!"

"Half Ishvalan," she corrected. "But rather than have you make more assumptions, I might as well introduce myself. My name is Minerva Mineau, the Mercury Alchemist," she said.

"Mercury…..The Mercury Alchemist!"

"Yeah, that's me," Minerva flicked out a knife from her sheath and held it in her gloved hand. She felt the alchemical energy focus on her gloves, a faint buzz that always set her body on edge and full alertness. The knife molded into a long thin chain, still metal but with the sharpness present. With full focus, she shot the chain from her hand and around the Freezer's boots, and yanked it, tripping him.

"And you're under arrest."

* * *

"Thank you so much for the help, Miss Mercury!"

"No problem, sir. It's just my job," Minerva smiled.

She knew the hostility would never go away, but for the most part, it was tolerable. Some officers found the time to thank her and as small of a gesture it was, she felt the compassion deeply.

But sometimes….It was not as bad as she expected it to be.

The officer turned to Alphonse, excitedly saying, "And, you must be the Fullmetal Alchemist! I can see where you get your name. You're quite famous around here!"

"Uh…. I'm not the Fullmetal Alchemist. That's my older brother you're talking about," Al replied.

"Really? Where is he?" asked the officer. Al pointed to where Ed was. "Oh, you mean the sh-"

Al shook his head frantically. "If you value your life, don't say the s-word around him,"he warned, almost in a stage whisper. The officer paled and nodded.

Luckily for the officer, Ed was too busy fixing his coat with alchemy to notice anything. "Annnd it's good as new!" he said, putting on his red coat.

Turning away from the conversation between the officer and Al, Minerva faced Ed.

"So Mister Fullmetal, what's the verdict?" she asked and crossed her arms.

There was a running competition on the rating of each other's performance in a mission. It was a silly competition, but it was a way to pass the time while waiting for the authorities to arrive and pick them up to go to their debriefing.

"Well, for Miss Mercury, not bad," Ed said. "I give it a….five point nine out of ten!"

"What?! A five?!" Minerva exclaimed.

"Five point nine. What, did you expect a ten out of ten?" Ed asked. "Come on, Mimi. If anyone is getting a ten, it would be _me_. I did all the work."

"Ahem!" Al cleared his throat loudly.

"And Al," Ed added.

"Mmm….Nah," Minerva said. "That's not happening."

"What do you mean 'nah'?" Ed asked indignantly.

It was so easy to rile him up, and Minerva knew exactly what buttons to push. He had a bit of an ego, and when that ego was boasted, she gladly do anything to puncture it just a little.

Call her cruel, but it was all in good fun.

"Okay, I'll be honest. Al did fantastic," Minerva said.

"Why thank you Minerva," Al responded, flattered.

"Al got flipped over as soon as he stepped into the fight!" Ed exclaimed.

"As for you, Ed, you were…okay. I have to say, you _almost_ lived up to the reputation."

"Says the person who all she did in the fight was throw _knives_."

"Knives and chain that caused the fight to be in our favor," Minerva retrieved the knives from the floor into her sheath. She left her cleaning pack in the Colonel's office, so she'd get to it eventually. "I'd give your performance…" she pretended to contemplate it for a few seconds. "...A six out ten. A little more than you deserve."

"Bullshit, I at least deserve a nine!" Ed exclaimed.

"Look out!" An officer called out.

Before she could react, Minerva was yanked by Ed to the side. Not allowing her time to ask, a wave of thick water vapor contaminated the air around them. She could feel the moisture against her skin, and the unmistakable smell of blood from the puddles on the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" Minerva exclaimed after the wave died down.

"He escaped!"

Irritation immediately crossed Ed's features. "Ugh! Now he's really pissing me off!"

* * *

The alchemist trio sat in the Colonel's office in Central City. The always loyal Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye stood next to him, posture radiating silent authority and upmost respect.

With no wounds to tend to, Minerva and Ed had eaten a small dinner in the cafeteria of a few stale sandwiches and coffee, with Al present for company. Not enough to fill their stomachs, but enough to quench their hunger from the fight for the moment being.

Minerva finished cleaning her knives and alchemized the chain back to its original form.

The debriefing was over, and the stenographer had typed up each of the alchemists account of the situation that happened in the alley during the pursuit and practical goose chase of the Freezer. There would be more paperwork to fill later, when the case was resolved and over.

It had only been the third time that Minerva and Ed had teamed up for a Central Command mission. But it had been the first time where they had failed to catch the bad guy.

Which proved that this mission would be longer, longer than expected. Minerva didn't want to do this. She had shit to do. Official government business be damned, she had slums to check on and make sure they were okay. Grocery shopping for she and her sister's shared apartment, because it was pretty well known that the only reason their apartment was well tended to was due to Minerva's constant train trips to Central Farmer's Market.

Sergeant Ginevra "Gina" Mineau, older half sister to Minerva from their father's first marriage, had a good nine years on Minerva's age of fifteen and a half. Almost twenty five and fresh out of the military academy, she was full Amestrian, rather than Minerva, who was only half.

The Mineau sisters both worked under Mustang and saw each other often enough to not fall out of touch.

The Elric brothers had pending business and their own personal agenda: getting their bodies back.

Minerva drank water from the plastic cup she had brought from the cafeteria, with promises to drop it off in the mess hall later. The fight had left her tired.

And, ironically enough, slightly dehydrated.

"Looks like the All-Star gleaming duo of the military _both_ underestimated their opponent," the Colonel said casually.

The nickname for the two state alchemists was based off what the local newspaper called the All-Star team up between Fullmetal and Mercury. It was cheesy, but it helped with boosting popularity, and increasingly growing knowledge about Minerva's existence.

Aside her residency in Central, she had only gone to the South and East twice, but no further than that. South to visit her mother and the slums near her home, East to meet regularly with Mustang and Fullmetal on unofficial visits and keeping him and Alphonse company. She wasn't a commuter, but she was no master traveller either.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Way to rub it in, Colonel," she said bitterly. "That's what happens for getting a call in the middle of a normal-ass Sunday evening telling us to go on a _goose_ chase around the city to catch some murderer, with no pre-briefing whatsoever, telling us what we were up against."

"You three were needed as soon as possible. There was no time for a pre-briefing. Adaptability; it's something you need to learn, Mercury."

So, the Colonel was a bit ticked that they weren't able to catch the Freezer.

Not her problem.

"What a way to be condescending to a lady," Ed said, crossing his arms.

He meant well, but Ed wasn't going to be of any help.

"Both of your statements are condescending," Minerva said curtly. "But whatever, now that we _do_ have time, unless the Freezer is keying cars in the parking lot right now and we're just sitting here wasting air, I do have a question: who exactly is he?"

"Isaac McDougal, a former State Alchemist. He's been causing havoc around Central," Mustang explained. "He's the Freezing Alchemist, as you know, but we've been calling him the Freezer for short."

"I'm well aware of that. I mean, what's his MO? His objective? Why is he targeting state alchemists and members of the military?"

"I don't know, Mercury, he didn't say when I asked him," the Colonel said.

Minerva rolled her eyes. Her sarcasm was dry already; the Flame Alchemist's sarcasm somehow managed to be even drier.

Sarcasm and the military somehow went hand in hand in Amestris.

 _Since the Colonel is being useless…_

Minerva turned to Hawkeye. "Lieutenant, is this Freezer guy wanted dead or alive?" she asked.

Hawkeye nodded. "Affirmative. Alive if preferably for interrogation and trial," she responded.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Minerva said. "See? I adapted, Colonel," she let out a wry smile, to which the Colonel rolled his eyes.

Yeah, they went back, alright.

"Dead or alive? I'll choose alive. No way in hell that I'm going to kill anyone for you," Ed stated.

"We are aware of that, Fullmetal," the Colonel stood up from his desk, pacing and ultimately leaning on the front of his desk, a few paces away from the alchemists. "Which is where Mercury comes in."

"You want me to poison him," Minerva answered for him.

"If it has to come down to that, we will need it. A non-lethal dose is preferable, but if he is a threat to your life...you know what to do."

Minerva wasn't shocked. She grimaced, and thought back to the antidote doses she always carried with her. "If that's what it takes," she began. "I'll get my non-lethal doses ready at your command."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ed turned to face Minerva. "You're not seriously gonna kill him, right?"

"Like the Colonel said, if it has to come down to that, I will try and use a non-lethal dose," Minerva said.

"But mercury is _lethal."_

"There's more than one poison I carry. Trust me Ed, I'm not thrilled about the idea either," Minerva said. "But sometimes, it is necessary."

"In what case would poisoning someone be necessary? Especially to the point of death?"

Killing in the line of work. This was always a topic that got them both heated.

Minerva had never been needed to kill, and she has never killed. This case would be the first time she was asked to use a non-lethal dose to poison someone. Casualties were always avoided, but...that didn't make the topic any easier to stomach.

She internally sighed, and remembered that unlike her and Gina, Ed had a different upbringing and came from a small, humble background. He didn't know that some people just could not be forgiven or changed for what they have done. If the Freezer could escape out of handcuffs and kill four officers in less than ten minutes, who knows how the rest of the mission would go?

A nervous feeling sat in her stomach, remembering why she was called Mercury. Metal manipulation. Poisoner.

"You saw how he was earlier. He's merciless, he doesn't care about the consequences. That man is a murderer. He killed innocent officers just to get away."

"Like it makes any difference to kill him. We would be just as bad as him."

"Difference is that I'm not killing anyone," Minerva said.

"But the _intent_ is there," the side of Ed's gloved hand landed on the middle of his metal palm for emphasis. "There's intent to kill him by even using poison altogether. Lethal or not."

"I'm not killing anybody," Minerva protested.

"Then why use poison?"

"It's what I was trained under."

"A dozen and a half different types of alchemy and you chose poison. You have intent to kill."

"Okay, Fullmetal, no one said-" Minerva began, but was cut off.

"So, what are you, Mercury? An alchemist? Or a weapon? Because the latter is what it sounds like to me."

The words were sudden, and Minerva was caught off guard.

"First of all," she began. "You are no one to judge-"

"That's enough!" the Colonel cut them both off. "All that's needed right now is to have him arrested. But if it comes down to the fact that the only way to stop him is by taking him out, we will have to go to those measures. Whether you like it or not, Fullmetal. It is what it is."

"It's a load of crap, that's what it is," Fullmetal said briskly.

A knock interrupted the oncoming argument.

"Come in."

"Hey Colonel, I got the papers you needed and they are-" Sergeant Gina Mineau entered. "Oh hey kids! You're back early!" she greeted brightly, not reading the room at all.

Unlike her half sister, Gina Mineau was a tall, fair skinned brunette with bright blue eyes and long thick hair held up in a tight bun.

"Gina, what are you doing here?" Minerva asked. "I was supposed to go meet you!"

"Wow, nice to see you too," Gina mumbled. "Uh yeah, in case you forgot, I _am_ assigned to Central Command. I was going to leave early, until I got word of the Freezer mission from the Colonel, so while you three were off in the city kicking ass, I helped hold down the fort. But no matter," she faced Al. "How did catching the Freezing Alchemist go?" she asked.

"He got away," said Al gloomily.

"Tragedy," Gina said. "Anyways, here they are," she turned around and handed the paperwork to the Colonel.

"Good job, Sergeant. That's all you needed to do for today," he said. Gina nodded and sat down on the couch next to Minerva. "As I was saying, the Freezer is dangerous and so far, has a body count of six. Four officers, two former state alchemists. And those are just the bodies we found so far. We don't know if he disposed of anymore just yet."

"He must have some serious issues with the military," Al said.

"So, that makes him a political assassin?" Minerva asked.

"Not quite," Hawkeye shook her head. "He's a wanted murderer."

"It doesn't matter what the label for that bastard is. What's the estimated time of completion?" Ed asked impatiently.

"Thanks to him getting away, it looks like it'll be a week."

"Aw great, more waiting!" Ed groaned out loud.

"Looks like that Liore trip is canceled," Al said flatly.

"Now, to change the subject," the Colonel said. "How's the search for your bodies going?"

"Y'know Colonel, you're not the only one that has stuff to do outside of work," Ed said.

"Well, Fullmetal Alchemist, it does so happen that I _am_ your commanding officer and I don't see you making any progress on getting your bodies back, so," the Colonel shrugged.

Ed adapted the same sarcastic tone that the Colonel used, only a tad bit more irritated than he was. "Well, _Lame_ Alchemist, it does so happen that you _never_ give us any time to _look_!"

The door burst open.

"HEY THERE ROY! I heard you were stationed in Central, so I thought I dropped by to say hi! Have to take care of the Freezer, eh? One hell of a _nasty_ job if you ask me, but you'll need it to go on up on the ranks as you always talk about!" Lieutenant Colonel Hughes exclaimed cheerfully.

Six pairs of eyes turned to face him blankly.

"Wow, what a crowd! Riza, always good to see you! Gina, how are you?! And oh my gosh, you didn't tell me the Fullmetal Alchemist was here!" he turned to Alphonse. "It's such an honor to finally meet you! You're quite famous around here!" he shook his armor hand furiously.

"Um, I'm not the Fullmetal Alchemist, I'm actually his younger brother, Alphonse!" Al said nervously.

"You're the Fullmetal Alchemist?!" Hughes turned to face Ed. "Sorry, I had no idea you'd be so-"

"Go on, say it, I dare you..." Ed muttered.

"How rude, not bothering to say hi," Minerva said, a small smile on her face.

The nerves from earlier were still present and she shoved them down as deep as she could.

"Hello Mercury!" Hughes greeted brightly. The genuine appreciation and happiness in his voice made her smile grow.

"Minerva is fine."

"So is Uncle Maes, but I don't hear you say it," Hughes turned to the Elric brothers. "I knew this kid since she was in diapers. Oh, the stories I have to _tell_!"

Truth was that Hughes and the Colonel both knew Minerva since she was a baby. They were best friends with Jonathan Mineau for decades. But only Maes acted like it and embraced it, rather than the sometimes cold professionalism that the Colonel approached her with.

Unnerved by the topic, the Colonel just shook his head to himself. "Hughes?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here? It's late, go home. Get out."

"I'm actually here on very important business," Hughes said.

"Shocker," Hawkeye mumbled under her breath.

"I understand you boys don't have a place to stay, we have some rooms available for you two tonight," said Hughes. "And Gina, Minerva, you are free to join us for dinner."

"Oh, that would be an honor, sir," Gina said. "I love Gracia's cooking."

"That sounds great, considering _someone_ hasn't done grocery shopping," Minerva glared at Gina, who rolled her eyes.

"Wow, you're four months into being a state alchemist and now you get onto me for not being inside the house for a while. I beg your pardon for actually working to make a living, _Miss_ Mercury," Gina said bitterly.

"Whatever."

"Great! I'll call my wife and let her know we're having company over!" Hughes said energetically. "Now, who's going to ride with who?"

"Me and Al will ride with you," Ed said.

Minerva didn't miss how it was the fact that Ed didn't want to speak with her for the moment.

She glanced down at the water cup, staring at the transparent liquid with a small frown. But she didn't miss the slight jostle that came with her sister reclining her elbow on her shoulder.

"That's perfect, actually. I have too much junk to fit the both of you anyways," Gina said.

* * *

It was fib. A little white lie.

As were her habits in the military, Gina kept her car spotless.

The start of the argument with Ed still resonated in her head.

 _Is a weapon all I am?_

Minerva bit her lip, pensive. She stared out the window and on the cobblestone road, deep in thought.

She didn't….exactly feel passionate about her job. Being a state alchemist came with many perks, and it definitely was a step forward for her in terms of moving up in society.

But it was goodbye to being a civilian and hello into being a dog of the military. She knew all the nicknames, all the slang, all the derogatory terms for state alchemists. They were struggling to gain back the general favor of the public after the Ishvalan war. It was political, the talk. But it was reality, for her.

She considered into enlisting in the military when she turned eighteen, but she couldn't wait that long. She finished her studies early, and became an alchemist in the South.

"What's on your mind, Mimi?" Gina asked from the driver's seat. Her hair had been loosened from the bun and it cascaded over one shoulder.

Minerva slightly jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Whoa, caught you daydreaming?" she asked.

"Not quite. I'm fine," Minerva responded. She felt the nerves return again, the anxiety. The knives were cleaned and put away in her bag that sat on top of the carpet interior of the car. As were her gauntlets and engraved gloves. "Just frazzled from the fight."

"You didn't get hurt, right?"

Minerva thought back to her knees, but it was nothing that ice couldn't fix. She'd have to ask Gracia if she had a pack she could borrow.

"Just a slight bump in the knees," Minerva said. "No big deal."

Yet Gina could see right through it.

"Alright. What's on your mind, sister of mine?"

 _Ed and I almost argued and he asked if I was a weapon. And maybe he's right._

Minerva thought about it, but she didn't want to bring it up out loud. It would just make the question more prevalent than ever.

"Nothing, really," Minerva said casually. "Just tired."

Gina glanced at her briefly before sighing softly and turning on the ignition.

"Just this, just that. One day you'll tell me, right?" she asked, concern interlaced with her voice.

"I will, don't worry. Just…" Minerva internally winced at the wording. Gina had a point. "Just not now."

Wordlessly, Gina nodded and hit the gas pedal.

As the car set into motion, Minerva felt herself slip back into the ever so enigmatic mess of her thoughts again.

Ed wasn't a mind reader, but he had a way of reading people that….that was shockingly accurate. She never asked for a read on her before, but she felt he had given it to her earlier with that poignant question.

" _Are you an alchemist? Or a weapon?"_

Ed and her had...contrasting points of views. He believed in science, while she was lapsed at best. Contrasting alchemy styles: his was general, jack of all trades and following the law of equivalent exchange, while hers was more specifically chemical manipulation and following the laws of physics that overlapped with alchemy. His code name came from his automail arm and leg; Minerva's code name came from her intelligence in poison.

Their stories were different. He became a state alchemist at a young age; she only received her certification in the past four months. He was born in the winter; she was born in the fall. She was the youngest of two, while he was the oldest of two.

She knew the growing word on the street. An up and coming Ishvalan female state alchemist that could bend any kind of metal into a knife and make poison out of anything. Some called her the dart, the final drop of death, even though she had never killed anyone. It was highly exaggerated. She insisted to the Fuhrer that if she were to be serving on a mission, she were to use non-lethal doses to incapacitate and capture her targets, not poison them fully.

Shockingly enough, he approved of her request. But he had said that should the mission need a lethal one, she would have to be ready to fulfill that order.

It made her sick to her stomach.

Was a weapon all she was?

At the thought of the king of the country, Minerva thought back to the time she received her certification and alchemist watch, the metaphysical dog tags of state alchemists. And the internal pain she felt at being in the presence of the same man that executed the order 3066.

She felt icky after the meeting. No, icky wasn't quite the word for it. Sick. Disgusted. Grossed out. Terrified. Repulsive. She felt sick, so sick to it that after she was dismissed, she immediately had to run to the nearest restroom and empty her stomach. She let a few tears escape in the process. It was all too much. Being in that room, in that office, in the room where it all happened….

The war felt like it was yesterday.

Alone in the restroom, she muffled her sobs with the sleeve of her jacket. with the weight of the watch in her pocket and the official documentation paper laying on the ground, forgotten for the moment.

She was a state alchemist. Part of the same group of people that helped catalyze the destruction and genocide of the war. The war that killed her father. The war that nearly wiped out her mother's race. Relatives she didn't know were lost, as were homes. Oceans of blood were spilled in the battlefield.

And she had to turn the other cheek.

It felt like betrayal. Disrespect. Dishonor. But...she had to move on.

For making the slums better, for the battle of equal rights, she had to do this. Being in the military was the only way to move forward in this society. She had to learn alchemy, appeal to the violent needs of the country that betrayed her people. It was the only way to move forward and aid the survivors from the war. With her salary, and pay raise for each successful mission, she'd be able to do something to help them. Get them food, find them shelters, build the slums into neighborhoods.

It was a stretch, but she had to do _something_. Something to make the injustice of the war right.

Her father didn't die rescuing civilians from a bomb for nothing, and she wasn't going to let his memory of saving others go to waste.

Gina was onboard with her plan too, the ever so supportive sister. She knew a few officers in the military in South City that checked on Yasmin, Minerva's mother, often. Just to keep her safe. Minerva knew the trio, and considered them to be some of the good members of the military. Yasmin checked on the slums when she could, and ran her shop of antiques in the downtown portions of the city. Sometimes, business was good. Sometimes, it wasn't.

Yasmin lived above the shop. Minerva payed for her mother's rent with the almost extravagant amount of salary she received. Extravagant to her, of course.

Of course, neither of the Elric brothers knew that. She didn't have too many friends in the military, and just as she made a few steps forward in befriending Ed further, something like the start of the argument would happen. A disagreement over something small, a petty fight.

Alphonse was kind hearted, much more sweeter than Ed.

"Hey Mimi, we're here," Gina said, pulling the car into a stop in front of the familiar gates of the Hughes house.

Minerva took a deep breath, and nodded. She pushed down those thoughts, and pulled up the reminder that she was going to be with her second family. With the Hughes family, the people that took her in while she did alchemy training and preparation for the exam.

A hollow feeling her chest reminded her that the Elrics would be there. And Ed would be hostile, if not flat out ignoring her. Crap.

But all things considered...she was going to be okay.

"Mimi. You good?"

Snapping out of her thoughts fully, Minerva cleared her throat.

"Totally," she said and smoothed down her blouse that lacked any wrinkles.

"You look like you're gonna be sick," Gina said.

"Me? Sick?" Minerva waved the statement away. "I'm fine. Totally fine. Just...just give me a moment."

 _Just this, just that._

Gina frowned but went along with it. "I'll go in when you're ready," she said.

It took her a few moments, but Minerva gave a short nod and mustered her best smile. She got out of the car and locked the door behind her, remembering the facts; for one, she would be in (mostly) good company. And most importantly, for two; she would most definitely have a delicious dinner to end the chaotic night.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I'm hella excited for this fic and hope that y'all will stick around to see more of it. :) Reviews are deeply appreciated!**


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